Method of preparing polishing material for tumbling barrels



/ TED. I

atented May 1 1, 1943 I ME'rnonoF PREPARING. magma MA- 5 a 5 amar. on TUMBLING BARRELS v 2,318,578; v i

'William G. Baln/Kalamazomand mqmcnaa Davidson, Stnrgis,-Mich.; said William G. Balzf assignor to Louise M. Balz, Kalamazoo, No Ilrawing. Application 19, 1 940, I

- Serial No. 330,468

1 Claim. '(Cl. 51-293) to be polished by what is commonly designated as Second, to provide a tumbling material having these advantages which is very economical.

Third, to provide a novel aggregate for use in tumbling barrel finishing and polishing which is effective on work of varying sizes and shapes and configuration.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

The applicants are aware that tumbling barrel smoothing and finishing has been practiced for many years and that various materials have been used as an aggregate along with numerous types of abradant, the abradant material frequently being varied according to the material being fin,- ished or polished-that is, a relatively coarse harsh abradant being sometimes used where quick cutting is desired and the finer abradants used where fine work is required or in the finishing step. Applicants are also aware that mixtures of abradant materials have been used. However, the tumbling material of theapplicants invention hasnumerous advantages both in the matter of economy and results over any materials with which the applicants are familiar due, to a substantial extent,-to the gentle abrasive action of the stone itself.

a roughened step or in a roughing compound in which the burrs and die marks or other sharpedges of the work are worn away and a finishing step using a finishing compound in which the final polishing is accomplished.

The following is a suitable formula or compound for the roughing compoundsirregular fragments of crushed stone, hardwood sawdust, powdered pumice, powdered oyster shell, rouge, stearic'acid, andkerosene. This may be compounded as follows:

Hardwood sawdust 75 'lbs. Powdered pumice 25 lbs. Powdered oyster shell 12 lbs. Rouge i 1 'lb."l ozs. Stearic acid 5 lbs. Kerosene 5 quarts or compounded as follows with satisfactory re- The applicants employ as an aggregate or as polishing elements, irregular angularfragments in the longer dimensions with highly satisfactory.

results. V

These irregular fragments of stone, preferably natural stone although certain artificial stone composition may be used, where the work to be treated is of a relatively delicate character, are

preferably initially treated in or tumbled in a tumbling barrel to substantiallyv eliminate therefrom the sharp'edges resulting from the fracturing of the stone.

The applicants preferably practice a dry two-.

step process-that is, a treatment of the articles The same proportion of this compound to stone is' used on the finishing operation.

We desire, however, to point out that there are many other abrasive powders or polishing powders that may be used and oils and greases may be substituted for the stearic acid and kerosene and the proportions may be varied considerably but it is not intended that the oils and greases shall be used in such proportion as to make a wet mixture. corncob is in itself possessed of polishing qualities and is sometimes used for polishing. Leather fragments or cloth fragments may be used with advantage for certain materials. 7

Whilethe proportions given in the foregoingv formula produce very satisfactory results, it will be understood that they may be considerably varied, The character ofthe abradant powders The cob meal or ground and of course the harder materials mayarequire i a longer period of treatment than the softer. The crushed stone itself is an effective abradant.

We have found that the use of irregular fragments of crushed limestone produces highly satisadapt our invention to the various uses for which it is adapted and desirable.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: W

The method of finishing including the step of tumbling work in a mixture including an abrasive, an emulsiflable oil, and fragments of limestone of widely varying irregular outline and factory results and may be used with satisfactory '10 sizes having the" sharp point and edges thereof results in work of varying configurations and having relatively small recesses, openings, or the like.

It is believed that the foregoing disclosures will enable those skilled in the art to embodyvor 15 previously removed without destroying the shape thereof, and having substantially smooth surfaces.

\WILLIAM G. BALZ.

LEO RICHARD DAVIDSON. 

